Northern Ireland’s first minister and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party Arlene Foster has resigned from both positions. She will step down as leader of the DUP on the 28th of May and her resignation as first minister will come into effect at the end of June.
Foster’s resignation is a result of an internal revolt from within the party. The BBC reported that 80% of her party believed that she should resign, with 22 out of 27 of her party colleagues at the NI Assembly signing a letter calling for her resignation. Members of the party have raised concerns over abortion legislation, same-sex marriage and the recent conversion therapy debate in which she abstained from voting, and the controversial NI protocol.
The Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the EU withdrawal deal, placed a barrier on the Irish sea to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Goods entering NI from the rest of the UK have to meet EU standards, placing checks on them. This has led to rioting across Ireland, with nationalists and loyalists clashing over the union, and there are whispers of holding a referendum over NI’s status in the union. Foster has been accused of complicity in the deal in allowing the Protocol to take place.
Foster herself said in her resignation that she broke the glass ceiling in being NI’s first female First Minister. Michelle O’Neill (Sinn Fein), the Deputy First Minister, commented on the future of the DUP that “the broad community are impatient for social reform… which reflects a modern and progressive society”.
The DUP’s future, as well as Ireland’s, is certainly uncertain - whether Foster’s resignation will heal historical tensions or allow them to flare up once again is still to be seen.
Written by Anna Male
Artwork by Mrishana
